Jenny McCarthy continues tireless crusade to kill us

Jenny McCarthy—yes, that Jenny McCarthy, Playmate of some years ago, World Wrestling Federation eye candy, MTV star, new host of The View, and vaccine advisor to the misinformed—is now shilling for e-cigarettes.

Though traditional cigarette advertising is heavily restricted, so far e-cigarettes can be freely marketed to everyone. And that’s just the opportunity Ms. McCarthy needs. So far, she’s concentrated her public health efforts on undermining vaccinations and killing young children. It’s nice to see her branching out to do her part to hook teens and young adults on a new fad to ruin their hearts, give them cancer, and shorten their lives.

8 Comments on “Jenny McCarthy continues tireless crusade to kill us”

Executives at ABC should be ashamed of themselves for offering McCarthy a regular platform on which she can peddle denialism and fear to the parents of young children who may have legitimate questions about vaccine safety. Presumably, those executives have decided that the revenues Jenny McCarthy might generate are worth more than the truth. That’s their right. But it’s a strike against reason and progress and hope. That is a cost that the network won’t be able to afford for long, and neither will the rest of us.

Several responses to this post appeared on twitter, many supportive of e-cigarettes as less unhealthy than traditional cigarettes. Their contention is that if cigarette smokers switch to e-cigs, net lives will be saved.

But: this ad campaign doesn’t look like it’s aimed at smokers. They’re clearly trying to reach a new generation of young people to get addicted to their new nicotine delivery product. Even if it’s less dangerous than a traditional cigarette, isn’t still addictive nicotine with its adverse cardiovascular effects. And the contention that they’re less harmful is self-serving and speculative at best.

If the e-cig manufacturers were serious about trying to make a positive public health impact, they would not have chosen an anti-public health figure to represent their product. They picked Jenny McCarthy, who has spent years rallying against vaccines (and, ironically, rallying against “toxins.” As if nicotine isn’t toxic.)

Thanks for this post. This is simply ridiculous –however now that she’s joining the face of e-cigs it does discredit her farther. Harm reduction principle believer or not, it’s astounding to me that people look to her for any semblance of health advice. With the news out this week that smokeless tobacco use is stable for teens (over 5% overall while 70% of those users also smoke cigs) and the reality that nicotine is one of the most addictive chemicals around—using Jenny as bait for e-cigs is clearly a methodical attempt to lure young women…grim.

We’ll keep working at it one day in clinic and one blog post at a time….

By all means take Ms McCarthy to task for her anti vac nonsense, but when she is promoting something that as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes is clearly less harmful, that is to be lauded, not pilloried. There is no evidence that ecig use by teens or anyone will “ruin their hearts, give them cancer, and shorten their lives.” Do some research before making ignorant statements.

Jenny McCarthy should be immediately dropped by blu cigs due to her insane vaccine truther beliefs.

However, it’s ridiculous to say that McCarthy’s commercial appears to be aimed at nonsmokers. Virtually all e-cigarette marketing is targeted directly at the tens of millions of American smokers who have yet to quit.

Regardless of the ridiculous inclusion of McCarthy, e-cigarettes will continue saving lives.